This invention relates to a monorail conveyor system. Heretofore, such conveyor systems have been made primarily of steel components suspended by steel supporting members welded to a building superstructure, the monorail comprising lengths of I-beams welded together at their ends to form a continuous, and usually an endless track for trolleys driven thereon by an endless drive chain. The trolleys have also been made of steel, until applicant's improved plastic trolley, disclosed in his U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,228,738 issued Oct. 2, 1980 and 4,433,627 issued Feb. 28, 1984, was introduced to the market a short time ago. Steel drive chain linkage and steel idler and drive wheels formed additional components of the prior art monorail structures and systems.
The problems attending such prior art monorail conveyor systems have included high initial material and installation costs, high maintenance and repair costs, and very high noise pollution, and a lack of color coding for safety and identification purposes. Because the principal components of steel monorail conveyor systems must be welded together, skilled workmen at high hourly rates are required to make these installations. Also, skilled tradesmen are required to assemble this equipment and install the same from supporting superstructure. Maintenance costs are high because these same skilled workmen are required to replace or repair damaged components or portions thereof. Since paint or exterior finishes adhere very poorly to steel surfaces located and operating in areas and atmospheres having a relative oily or chemical content, it is practically impossible to maintain a color on the monorail components which would function as a signal that such apparatus is present and that there may be danger to personnel in its area of operation. The lack or failure of color coding monorail equipment also constitutes an insufficiency to provide an identification of the components which are or can be carried by the system. The high decibel noise quotient results in major part from the difficulty in welding sections of the monorail in a level attachment of the I-beam trolley riding surfaces, so that a loud clickety-clack occurs each time a trolley rides across a juncture of the monorail I-beam. Where hundreds of such junctures and trolleys are present, the conveyor noise is, in some instances, highly discomforting, decreasing worker efficiency.